


Hate to Watch You Worry

by Annide



Series: Febuwhump [8]
Category: 9-1-1: Lone Star (TV 2020)
Genre: Angst with a Happy Ending, Car Accidents, Hurt/Comfort, M/M, Murphy's Law
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-02-26
Updated: 2021-02-26
Packaged: 2021-03-14 12:48:55
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,960
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29667552
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Annide/pseuds/Annide
Summary: After encountering black ice on their way home, TK and Carlos get into a car crash.
Relationships: Carlos Reyes/TK Strand
Series: Febuwhump [8]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/2116785
Comments: 12
Kudos: 84





	Hate to Watch You Worry

**Author's Note:**

  * For [terramous](https://archiveofourown.org/users/terramous/gifts).



> Written for [Max's](https://archiveofourown.org/users/terramous) birthday. He requested febuwhump day 27: "i wish i had never given you a chance". I hope you like it, happy birthday!

The bar was starting to empty. That’s how late it was. They’d had a great night hanging out with everyone. They had such a great time, they didn’t want the night to end. As all of the others went home, Carlos and TK stayed and hung out with Paul, but he’d abandoned them a few minutes ago to try his luck on the dance floor. He seemed to be getting along well with someone and Carlos was starting to feel the strain of a long night out. He let out a yawn and reached for TK’s forearm.

“I think that last drink was a mistake.”

“Feeling sick?”

“No, I’m getting tired, we probably should leave soon.”

“Why does it sound like a problem? We can leave anytime.”

“I had a little too much to drink to drive, we’ll have to call an uber.”

“Why? Your car’s in the parking lot.”

“But I’m in no state to drive.”

“Yes, but I don’t drink, I can drive.”

“No, you can’t.”

“Yes, I can. It makes no sense for us to leave your car here and come back for it in the morning. It’d be a waste of gas and money, especially since I’m here, sober and perfectly capable of driving.”

TK was giving him his most adorable teasing face, but Carlos wasn’t drunk enough to be won over so easily.

“If you can drive, how come I’ve never seen you do it?”

“Because I don’t have a car. And apparently my boyfriend doesn’t trust me to drive his.”

“I’ve just never heard anything about you driving before. Are you sure you can drive?”

“Do you want to see my license? That I got by driving in the busy streets of New York? It’s late, there’ll be barely anyone on the roads. There’s nothing to worry about. Come on, hand me the keys, I promise nothing is gonna happen.”

“You’re sure?”

“I’m sure,” TK presented his hand to him, he seemed almost exasperated, “now let me get you home.”

TK was right, it was the best option they had, the only thing that made sense for them to do. Reluctantly, Carlos pulled his keys out of his pocket and deposited them in his boyfriend’s palm. He had never trusted anyone else with his car before. It felt like a big step to him. He refrained from asking TK how long it had been since the last time he actually drove. It probably would only make him more anxious about letting him take the wheel.

It felt unexpectedly cold outside when they exited the bar. At first, Carlos thought it was just him, but he saw TK shiver a little. It did serve to wake him up a bit, not enough that he could drive, but enough that he might stay awake through the drive home, as short as it was. But once they actually left, with the heating on in the car, he still started dozing off.

When the car started skidding, TK struggling as he tried to regain control, Carlos couldn’t see what caused it. All he could see was the realisation of all his fears. They spun all around and left the road. They went straight through a bush and crashed into a tree. The good news was that they had slowed enough to avoid doing too much damage to the engine. The bad news was that in the impact they’d driven into a low branch that pierced through the windshield and sat between them, making it impossible for them to see more than each other’s face.

“Carlos, I’m sorry, there was a patch of black ice, I saw it too late and... I’m really sorry.”

TK had turned toward him, voice strained and guilt all over his face. He was reaching for his hands, no doubt to apologise some more. Carlos couldn’t explain it. Maybe it was because he was tired, or maybe it was the alcohol, but he could feel anger rising in him. His emotions were all over the place, and took up too much space. His car that he always took such good care of had crashed into a tree. He let someone borrow it one time, and it got into an accident. He couldn’t process that, combined with the shock of what just happened and how they easily could’ve been badly injured, it was too much.

“I don’t think the damage is that bad, I’m sure you can get it fix. I’ll even pay for the repairs. I’m sorry, you trusted me, and I couldn’t stop this.”

“I wish I had never given you a chance.”

The words slipped out of Carlos’ mouth before he could stop them. He knew they would hurt TK’s feelings, yet part of him didn’t care. He was hurt. What TK had said was true; he’d let him down. Carlos needed air. He walked out of the car, slamming the door behind him. He let his back lean against the side of the car and put his face in his hands.

He knew he was being unfair to TK. None of this was his fault. Carlos was upset and he was taking it out on his boyfriend. He didn’t even recognise himself. That wasn’t him. He wasn’t the kind of person who did that. Tonight, he was. Tonight he was the asshole who got angry at his boyfriend for getting into an accident he probably would’ve gotten into himself. He wanted to blame it entirely on being tired and a little tipsy, but the truth was, it was more than that.

As stupid as it could sound, that car meant a lot to him and it pained him to see it wrecked like this, whether or not it could be fixed. He also blamed himself for having just one drink too many and having to rely on someone else to drive him home.

“Carlos, are you okay? Are you still mad? You know I really am sorry, right?”

TK had exited the car from his side and stood near the back of the car, a safe distance away. Carlos loved how TK always knew when he needed some space, some time to himself to process and calm down.

“I know you are. But my car is the first thing that was truly mine, the first place that I was able to be completely myself, no judgement. I could go on a drive and sing whenever I had a tough day and just needed to be alone, and I could go on dates and kiss boys and not feel like it was a big deal. It was my first big purchase, the first big adult thing I got before I moved out of my parents’. I picked it and it’s mine. You can’t understand, because you don’t own anything big like that.”

“I see. I get it, it means a lot to you.” TK looked down at his hands. He sounded hurt, as though he struggled to speak. “So, I called 9-1-1, rescue’s on the way. Everything’ll be fine, and the car can be fixed.”

TK walked away, back toward the other side of the car, maybe to go back to his seat to wait for help to get there. Before he could stop himself, as though his body was run by impulses and emotions he usually kept under better control, as though the combination of exhaustion, alcohol and shock was forcing everything out, Carlos followed.

“I don’t think you do get it.”

It came out harsher than he’d meant it. He could already feel the regret that would fill him later, when he’d be more himself.

“What do you want from me, Carlos?” TK said as loud as he could without yelling. He turned to face him. Despair and confusion all over his expression, along with pain he seemed to be trying to hide from him. “I already apologised again and again, what more do you need?”

Carlos took a step in his direction. He was just about to try and put his feelings into words, to do the best he could to explain to TK why he was being such a jerk to him. That’s when he saw it. His eyes were led away from his boyfriend by a patch of red he’d caught a glance of.

From his side, all he could see had been the branch piercing right through the windshield and sitting across the car. There was a bit of glass, but nothing too serious. It had missed him completely and Carlos hadn’t thought more of it. The driver’s side, however, was a different story.

There was a stump in the branch which caused more damage to that side of the window. The seat and floor were littered with glass, but, most importantly, there was a dark liquid on the seat. Blood. Carlos softened instantly, all of his anger replaced by concern. TK was injured. And worse, he’d hidden it from him. Carlos’ anger had taken all of the space, leaving none for TK to be honest with him about how he was doing. How could Carlos be so selfish? How could he be so focused on his car that he forgot to ask his boyfriend how he was doing after a crash? Guilt and shame was quickly rising inside him. He was handling it all wrong.

“Is that blood on the driver’s seat?”

“I’m sorry, Carlos. I know you’re mad about the car, can it stain the leather? Maybe we can clean it while we wait or-”

“TK, are you hurt?”

“It’s nothing, really. Don’t worry about it.”

“Um, I’m having trouble believing that, show me.”

TK pulled up the sleeve of his hoodie, which, now that Carlos thought of it, he hadn’t been wearing when they crashed. His boyfriend probably saw he was hurt and grabbed the shirt from the backseat to cover his injuries. Carlos almost wanted to hide his face in his hands in exasperation, but he was distracted by all the cuts on TK’s forearm. It was clear a lot of glass had fallen on him and made some damage.

“Oh, TK, I’m sorry, let’s get the first aid kit and take care of these.”

“Good idea, why don’t you open the trunk and I’ll wait for you there? Be careful, there’s glass everywhere.”

That puzzled Carlos. First, TK was too quick to agree. Second, what he could see on his arm wasn’t enough to explain the amount of blood on the seat. And third, before he started walking toward the back of the car, TK stood right by the driver’s seat, where he could’ve easily reached down for the handle to open the trunk himself, unless something prevented him from doing so. Carlos quickly did it then joined TK who was sitting on the bumper.

“What’s wrong?” TK asked as he handed him the first aid kit.

“Nothing, my boyfriend’s arm is full of cuts because we got into an accident, isn’t that enough?”

“You’re staring, Carlos. And you have that look on your face, your suspicious look.”

“I have a suspicious look?”

“Of course, with your eyes cringed a little, your eyebrows furrowed, and staring at me kind of from the side. I know you, what’s going on?”

“You’re lying to me.”

“No, I’m not, you’ve given me this look several times before.”

“I mean about your injuries. You’re downgrading them.”

TK looked down. He was avoiding his eyes. Carlos was right, but he wished he wasn’t. There was only one reason why his boyfriend would try so hard not to hide something from him.

“I don’t want you to worry. It’s going to be fine.”

“Show me.”

“Why? Rescue’s on the way, I’ve done all I can to limit the damage. Seeing it will only make you feel bad. And I really hate to watch you worry about me, you deserve better than that.”

“Well, I think I deserve to know exactly what’s going on with the man I love. Come on, show me.”

“Carlos, please, you really don’t need to see it.”

“You realise everything you’re saying is only making me more concerned, right?”

TK rolled his eyes and let out a sigh.

“Fine. But I warned you. It looks bad.”

He lifted up his hoodie. Under it, Carlos could see a piece of glass, bigger than the ones in the car, embedded into TK’s abdomen. He had wrapped it and stabilised it with the button-up shirt he’d been wearing, but it was clear he’d lost a significant amount of blood. The shirt was practically soaked red.

“TK! You should’ve said something.”

“I told you not to worry, help is going to be here any minute. It’ll be fine. I don’t think it’s in that deep.”

“My boyfriend is bleeding out, of course I’m worried. You could die.”

“I won’t. If my estimation is right, I still have a few minutes to go before I lose enough blood to pass out, I’m good.”

“So, what you’re saying is, you’re fine as long as the paramedics get here as quickly as you think they will, otherwise you’ll die?”

“They will get here, there’s really no need to be worried.”

Carlos couldn’t believe him. How could he possibly be taking this so lightly when his life depended on the ambulance getting to them on time while the roads offered less than ideal conditions? Carlos was about to ask how he could help. They had a first aid kit and TK had medical training, surely there was something more to be done. He hoped there was something. He couldn’t just stand there and wait.

That’s when the engine, that had been fuming just a little, caught on fire. They really couldn’t catch a break tonight. TK turned to look at it, grabbed the extinguisher from the trunk and handed it to Carlos. The effort of lifting it seemed to have taken a lot out of him. He looked tired and weak, and was now fully leaning against the car, his full weight supported by the vehicle.

“You don’t look so good, TK.” Carlos took the extinguisher from him, but didn’t move.

“Thanks. You, on the other hand, look very handsome.”

Carlos threw him a glare.

“I’ll be fine. Just go put that fire out and then come back and help me.”

“And what if I can’t stop it in time? You can’t run, I don’t think you can even get up anymore.”

“You definitely won’t put it out fast enough if you keep arguing.”

“I don’t care, I want to make sure you’re safe first. Here, I’ll help you get a safe distance away.”

Carlos put down the extinguisher and walked closer to TK, gently putting an arm under his shoulders for support. He pulled him up and felt him almost limp against him. TK’s eyes fluttered open and close, as though he struggled to stay conscious.

“Come on, TK, you have to stay awake, it won’t be much longer.”

They started walking away from the car. They’d barely made it safe enough away when they heard an explosion. Carlos sat down and helped TK lie down, his head in his lap.

“Carlos, your car. You could’ve saved it, you had the time.”

“I didn’t want to risk your life for it.”

“I’m sorry, I know how much you loved that car.”

“I love you more.”

“Even after I crashed your most prized possession?”

“It wasn’t your fault. And yes.”

“I love you too.”

“Good,” Carlos smiled. “I’m really sorry about the way I acted earlier. I was a jerk. I took my feelings out on you and you didn’t deserve that.”

“You were stressed, we both know I’ve been there before. Thank you for being there for me now.”

“Always.” Carlos grabbed one of his hands to hold. “Hey, do you hear that? Sirens.”

“See, I told you we’d be fine.”

Carlos shook his head. His boyfriend was incorrigible. He ran his free hand through TK’s hair as they waited for the paramedics. Once they got there, TK was put on a gurney and rolled to the ambulance in mere minutes. They were gone before fire and rescue even got there, and just as police parked. Apparently they were having a bit of trouble maneuvering the truck on the black ice that had landed them there in the first place.

The paramedics checked out TK and confirmed that the piece of glass didn’t appear too deep. They still left it in just in case, but they bandaged the wound with the proper equipment. There was barely any more bleeding, which was reassuring. They were confident that the doctors would have no problem fixing him up and making him good as new.

“Good thing I don’t have any heart issues, because it’s getting really hard to handle seeing you hurt.”

“I’m sorry, I swear I try to be careful. But I’m glad that you came out of that accident completely unscathed though.”

“Physically unscathed. Emotionally, it’s another story.”

“Look, after the doctors take that piece of glass out of me, I promise I’ll give you as many cuddles and kisses as you need to feel better.”

“Are you sure that’s a promise you want to make? It’ll take a whole lot of cuddles and kisses to get over my camaro being ruined.”

“I’m ready to do whatever it takes to make you happy.”

Carlos smiled and leaned down to put a soft kiss on TK’s forehead. As tough as the night had been, and as many regrets he might have about it, they would be alright. Carlos looked down at their linked hands, thinking about how much they loved each other, and how TK felt more like his future every day.


End file.
